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"Clear Voice in Europe”

ALCS SUMMER RECEPTION EDINBURGH

ALCS Summer Reception in Edinburgh

On 13th August over 200 ALCS (The UK Collective Rights Management Service for Writers) Members to an evening celebrating writers and literature during Festival time in Edinburgh. Struan Stevenson, author of 4 books and a member of ALCS attended thge reception.

Adam Singer, Chair of the ALCS Board, welcomed guests who included writers Ian Rankin and Gyles Brandreth, before laying out the difficulties that lie ahead in the fight for writers' rights.

"Today has not been a great day for writing. I say that because, just as I was about to come out, I heard on Radio 4 that Birmingham City Council has decided to stop buying books for its library. This, of course, is serious and it's a tragic and important issue. Other equally important issues that we face are coming from Brussels: the creation of a single European Digital Market (EDM) which, on one hand you can understand, and on the other it will affect revenues and the nature of copyright. Finally, of course, one of the things we would love to see is a change in the nature of contracts between writers and publishers so they are fairer and more equal. That if they are not using their rights, they can revert back to you."

In his speech, Singer also referred to Apple's new blanket licence for music on a monthly subscription, given that what happens in the music business is often relevant to writers. Whilst it was still uncertain whether this new licensing approach was a good or bad thing for the creative community, he pledged that ALCS would continue to monitor such trends to ensure that the rights of creators, and especially of writers, are protected.